Anybody using Singtel Mesh?

[xiaofan]

let me try to clarify..
this is how my connection is

TP->ONR
->STB1
->STB2
->Askey (living room)->wired backhaul->Askey (bedroom)->desktop PC
->smart TV

what brand and model wifi mesh should i switch to?

Your connection looks correct. As you have Ethernet connection and you are using ONR, cheap dual band mesh should work.

Depending on your budget, you can consider the following.
TP-Link Deco M5 (AC1300), cheap and pretty good, with local waranty
Huawei AX3 Pro x 2 (AX3000), cheap but no local waranty, Chinese web GUI
Asus RT-AX58U (AX3000) or TUF AX3000 + RT-AX56U (AX1800), AIMesh

You can also consider better brand like Asus Zenwifi, Netgear Orbi and Linksys Velop if you have higher budget. I tend to think Netgear Orbi is the best among the three. But then the higher end triband is not cheap and not really that worth it now that you have Ethernet connection.

 

[Rickuuza]

What if you remove the PS4 from the switch? Or just remove the switch and connect the SingTel TV directly to the Askey?

Removed the ethernet back haul and connect the singtel tv and ps4 directly to router, and use wireless back haul for the 3 askey mesh. Seems stable so far, trade off is lower speed.

 

[xiaofan]

Removed the ethernet back haul and connect the singtel tv and ps4 directly to router, and use wireless back haul for the 3 askey mesh. Seems stable so far, trade off is lower speed.

This should still be okay.
ONT -> AC Elite Port 1-> Askey(Study) ---- Askey (Bedroom)

The following is the issue as you share the PS4 with the SingTel TV box.
AC Elite Port 2-> Askey (TV) -> 4-Port Switch-> Singtel TV & PS4.

If you can, split SingTel TV and PS4, but keep Ethernet backhaul.

AC Elite Port 2-> Askey (TV) — SingTel TV
AC Elite Port 3 -> PS4

The above should work.

 

[xiaofan]

https://www.singtel.com/personal/products-services/broadband/wifimesh
https://www.singtel.com/personal/products-services/broadband/eform/addon-netgear

Among Singtel sanctioned Mesh solutions, only Netgear Orbi RBK50 (triband AC3000, S$24*24= S$576) and Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 AX4200 (RBK752, S$33 x 24 = 792) are good. But then you need to check if the price is okay or not. Apparently the Singtel price is not attractive at all.

RBK50 AC3000 Triband, Challenger is selling at S$389
https://www.hachi.tech/biz-solution...000-tri-band-mesh-wi-fi-system--0606449116359

RBK752: Challenger is selling at S$699 for members
https://www.hachi.tech/biz-solution...pack-wifi-6-tri-band-mesh-wifi--0606449147711

 

[TheMilitaryBand]

Are Askey mesh compatible with Asus routers?

Hi all, Just signed MyRepublic and gotten a AX-RT 3000 asus router. Still have my existing Askey mesh from Singtel. Are they compatible? Or any gurus here able to share?

 

[xiaofan]

Hi all, Just signed MyRepublic and gotten a AX-RT 3000 asus router. Still have my existing Askey mesh from Singtel. Are they compatible? Or any gurus here able to share?

You should still be able to use the Askey, just that no FW updates will be available me that you are not on SingTel network.

You also need to use a different SSID with your main Asus router.

 

[rockyan]

Anyone using nest wifi from google??thought want replace my sineoji that spoilt.

 

[xiaofan]

Anyone using nest wifi from google??thought want replace my sineoji that spoilt.

Not recommended to use Google Nest with SingTel.

I believe it will result in Double NAT, no matter for SingTel ONT user or ONR user.

https://www.singtel.com/personal/products-services/broadband/eform/googlenest-wifi-mini

The Google Nest Wifi is unable to support Singtel TV set-top boxes. Please click here for a guide on how to connect it to your Singtel TV.

SingTel guide:
https://www.singtel.com/content/dam.../QIG/Google-Nest-WiFi-Singtel-Setup-Guide.pdf

Double NAT info from Google.
https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/6277579?hl=en-SG

Vlan not supported by Google Nest Wifi
https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9798157?hl=en-SG

Google Nest Wifi does not support Mesh in bridge mode
https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/6240987?co=GENIE.Platform=Android&hl=en

Google Nest Wifi does not support Singtel VLAN for ONT users. It also does not support AP mode in mesh for ONR users. It does not support SingTel TV.

I do not understand why SingTel even brings in Google Nest with all the limitations.

More over, it is just a dual band Wifi mesh so it is not a good mesh solution if you can not use Ethernet backhaul. Yet the cost is not low. So even for non Singtel users, I will not recommend using Google Nest WiFi, unless you can use Ethernet backhaul and need the ecosystem.

 

[jonleelk]

Yes you can of course use 3rd party mesh solutions.

Take note Linksys Velop does not support SingTel VLAN so you may still need the SingTel router if you are the ONT users.

Avoid Google Nest router as well as it does not support SingTel VLAN and does not support Mesh in AP mode.

Asus Zenwifi, Asus AIMesh, Netgear Orbi and TP-Link Deco are possible alternative to SingTel mesh solutions from Airties, Askey and Arcadyan (the new Singtel Mesh extender AC2600).

xiaofan

If my intended ethernet connection is Singtel ONR -> mesh -> MIO TV STB, which of the alternative mesh solutions above can be used?

 

[xiaofan]

xiaofan

If my intended ethernet connection is Singtel ONR -> mesh -> MIO TV STB, which of the alternative mesh solutions above can be used?

Then you need to use SingTel supported solution. The only good one seems to be Netgear Orbi triband AC.
https://www.singtel.com/personal/products-services/broadband/wifimesh

 

[Welshia]

Create guest wifi on Askey Mesh AP5100W

Hi there,

Can i know how do i create a guest wifi for this mesh? Tried to call singtel for 1.5 hours and they cant solve my problem. The askey app itself keep tell me there is an network issue.

 

[xiaofan]

Hi there,

Can i know how do i create a guest wifi for this mesh? Tried to call singtel for 1.5 hours and they cant solve my problem. The askey app itself keep tell me there is an network issue.

You can try the previous SingTel answer here.
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/...-4/anybody-using-singtel-mesh-5354946-56.html

But if you read the answer, guest network is not segregated from the main network (at least at that time), if that is still the case, do not use this feature.

 

[jonleelk]

Then you need to use SingTel supported solution. The only good one seems to be Netgear Orbi triband AC.
https://www.singtel.com/personal/products-services/broadband/wifimesh

AC but not AX.

Hopefully Singtel brings in the Airties 4960 AX Mesh soon.

 

[xiaofan]

AC but not AX.

Hopefully Singtel brings in the Airties 4960 AX Mesh soon.

Better avoid any mesh solution from SingTel with the brand Airties/Askey.

You can probably check with SingTel whether they support the following for Singtel TV.
Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 Mesh AX4200 (RK752)

 

[kashix]

Better avoid any mesh solution from SingTel with the brand Airties/Askey.

You can probably check with SingTel whether they support the following for Singtel TV.
Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 Mesh AX4200 (RK752)

+1 to this, please avoid like plague, avoid like Covid!

Posted with iPhone 12 Pro Max Pacific Blue HardwareZone Forums app

 

[TheV]

Better avoid any mesh solution from SingTel with the brand Airties/Askey.

You can probably check with SingTel whether they support the following for Singtel TV.
Netgear Orbi WiFi 6 Mesh AX4200 (RK752)

Hi xiaofan,

I am now using Airties 4920 and looking to buy more nodes from Carousell to expand my coverage.

You used to own Airties? Deco M3 performs much better than Airties? Thanks

 

[xiaofan]

Hi xiaofan,

I am now using Airties 4920 and looking to buy more nodes from Carousell to expand my coverage.

You used to own Airties? Deco M3 performs much better than Airties? Thanks

I have Deco M4 but I am not using it now. I would not recommend Deco M3 though. I am using Asus RT-AX82U China version (set to Australia region) and it can cover the full flat.

In your case, since you already have Airties, then it is easier just to buy more units to expand the coverage.

Do you have LAN ports at home? If you can use Ethernet backhaul, then lower end dual band mesh system like the Airties/Askey can be used.

Main problem is that they are tied to SingTel and you are at the mercy of SingTel on the firmware updates. Lower end TP-Link Deco M4/M5 are better in this aspect. So unless you need wireless connection to SingTel TV box, do not get Airties/Askey in the first place.

For those who have to use wireless backhaul, in general, dual band mesh system may not be good, triband solutions (TP-Link Deco M9+, Netgear Orbi RBK50/RBK752/RBK852, etc) are recommended

 

[xiaofan]

I have Deco M4 but I am not using it now. I would not recommend Deco M3 though. I am using Asus RT-AX82U China version (set to Australia region) and it can cover the full flat.
...
For those who have to use wireless backhaul, in general, dual band mesh system may not be good, triband solutions (TP-Link Deco M9+, Netgear Orbi RBK50/RBK752/RBK852, etc) are recommended

If you need to use wireless backhaul, even with triband solution, the placement of the main node and mesh nodes are important. The mesh node needs to have good connection with the main node. It can be difficult with thick walls in the older HDB unit.

Previously I was using WRT1900AC for many years (2014 to 2020) but there are weak signal areas. I was using TP-Link range extenders and 4 D-Lnk AV2000 power line adapters to help out. One of the range extender is running as an AP in the master room with the help of the power line adapter.

Then I bought 4 units of Deco M4 (total S$198) and I had to use Power Line AV2000 Adapters to form a pseudo Ethernet backhaul in my master room and another bedroom, which severely limit the mesh node speed to around 100Mbps - 150Mbps. It is practically not possible to use them with wireless backhaul due to the floor plan and the thick walls: the mesh node simply can not have line of sight with the main node in the living room.

So I have since moved away from the Deco M4. Firstly I got the Huawei AX3 Pro which has relatively good 2.4GHz coverage for the flat. Then later I got the Asus RT-AX82U China version, which finally can cover my flat with 5GHz.

But I understand each flat is different. The best is always to have Ethernet at the rooms and then you can deploy APs or Mesh solutions easily, without worrying about placement of the nodes.

Telco Mesh website will never tell you about the limitations of wireless backhaul.

 

[xiaofan]

A long but pretty good write-up for the mesh system vs others, and Ethernet backhaul vs wireless backhaul.

From DongKonws.com
https://dongknows.com/mesh-wi-fi-system-explained/

1) Wired backhaul: The only way to get the best performing mesh

The best way to implement a mesh is by using network cables to link the hubs together in a wired backhaul setup. In this case, you’ll always have the best possible Wi-Fi speeds throughout.
...
You don’t need to worry much about how to arrange the hubs in a wired backhaul setup. Within reason, no matter the distance or placement, you’ll get the same performance.
...

2) Wireless backhaul: Super convenient but can be temperamental

Running network cables can be hard or even not possible at all. So wireless mesh setups are popular. In this case, how you arrange the hubs is crucial. That’s because, over the air, the connections between them can vary a great deal.

To deal with that, there are two things to consider, the distance and the topology.

...

 

[chngz8]

I agree with some of the feedback of the users here. Dont USE GOOGLE WIFI MESH with Singtel. I have been experiencing the nightmare situation of no mesh coverage.

I live in a landed property and have 5 google wifi (old version). All the wifi points are working fine (some i connect to the Ethernet Lan points). After setting everything up, Google Wifi app says all the points are working fine. But when i test the MESH connection, it shows error message. I am not relying wifi internet from the main google wifi router.. the points are ALL not working.

Contacted Google for help, they gave many suggestions, Reset setting, reset everything, 2 min power cycle... and now they say i got double NAT issue. They say all my google wifi points bandwidth is different from main google wifi router, thus the mesh not working. Suggest i try bridge mode solution...

Its a bloody nightmare......... dont use google WIFI with singtel.. i am trying now to find alternative.. maybe i will try Deco m5, since i Lan points in most room.. so can use the wire backhaul.

Any other suggestions?